[e-drug] 10.5 Million Children Vaccinated Against Hepatitis B

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E-DRUG: 10.5 Million Children Vaccinated Against Hepatitis B
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[from WHO; copies as fair use; WB]

GAVI releases progress report at international forum

DAKAR, SENEGAL, 20 November 2002 -  The Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunization (GAVI) and its financing arm, The Vaccine Fund, today released
new figures showing that their innovative, business-like approach to
development aid has enabled 10.5 million children so far to be vaccinated
hepatitis B, a deadly infection that is a leading cause of liver disease
and cancer in the developing world.  Issued in conjunction with the new
report, The State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization, the GAVI
Progress Report 2002 reveals that 55 developing countries have already
received assistance to improve their vaccination services, enabling them to
provide more children with all essential vaccines.

Released at the Second GAVI Partners' Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, a
gathering of global health leaders from more than 60 countries, including
more than 30 health and finance ministers, the GAVI report provides clear
evidence that this novel public-private alliance, and its significant
financial backing from the Vaccine Fund, is creating new interest in
vaccines for the poorest countries.

"Our times require new solutions including new partnerships - with private
industry, developing country governments, and new ways of financing.  The
alliance has helped us to deliver more and faster than if any of the
partners had gone it alone," said Dr Tore Godal, Executive Secretary of
GAVI.  Partners in this alliance include public institutions such as WHO,
UNICEF and the World Bank, bilateral aid and nongovernmental agencies, the
vaccine industry, new partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
and most importantly, developing country governments themselves.

In under three years, GAVI and the Vaccine Fund have provided nearly 50
national health programs catalytic funding which they can use to strengthen
their systems for delivering all essential vaccines to the population. In
addition, 33 more countries have been able to protect their children
against hepatitis B through GAVI vaccine donations; seven countries now
provide vaccine protection against Haemophilus influenzae type b; and seven
provide infants with yellow fever vaccination. In many cases, these new
vaccines are delivered in combination with traditional vaccines against
diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

"Today, liver cancer caused by hepatitis B infection is the number one or
two cause of cancer deaths in men in most of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
If we can drastically increase vaccine coverage, in a few decades liver
cancer in Africa and Asia will be almost nonexistent", said Dr Mark Kane,
director of the Children's Vaccine Program at PATH and one of the
architects of GAVI and the Vaccine Fund." Vaccines against hepatitis b have
been available for almost 20 years, and their impact is reflected in
reduced numbers of adult deaths from liver cancer in countries where the
vaccine is used routinely infants. Prior to GAVI, most of the world's
poorest countries had not yet introduced the vaccine.

Since the program started, 130 million vaccine doses have been delivered to
countries. According to preliminary estimates by WHO, the vaccines provided
to countries by GAVI and the Vaccine Fund have already saved more than
100,000 lives.  As the countries scale up their programs, millions more
children will be newly protected - with all basic vaccines - saving
thousands more lives.

The renewed interest in vaccines for the developing countries has
influenced the vaccine industry as well. It is predicted that in the
upcoming years several other manufacturers will introduce combination
vaccines, such as DTP-hepatitis B and DTP-hepatitis B-Haemophilus
influenzae type b, which are preferred by countries due to the ease of
administration. "Stronger country forecasts and stable funding are the
pillars for securing vaccines from industry", said Carol Bellamy, GAVI
Board Chair and Executive Director of UNICEF, the agency that manages the
procurement and delivery of vaccines for GAVI.

But challenges remain.  In some countries, war, political turmoil, failing
economies, and natural disaster have impeded the transfer of GAVI/Vaccine
Fund assets to local governments.  In other countries, the introduction of
a complex new vaccine has over-stressed fragile health systems; numerous
delays were reported in getting the vaccines from the central store out
into the health centers where they could be injected into children's arms.

"The GAVI application process has shined a spotlight on the difficulties
facing health managers in the poorest countries - problems that won't be
solved overnight and without adequate resources", said Jacques-Francois
Martin, President of The Vaccine Fund.  "As the alliance transitions from a
start-up venture to managing the implementation of programs, the partners
will need more resources to fulfill their obligations."

The GAVI partners use a rigorous business-like framework to allocate funds
from the Vaccine Fund.  Based upon three essential points - strong
cooperation, strategic planning and quantifiable results - this approach
requires countries to develop strong coordination among local partners,
prepare multi-year plans to improve health care and its financing, and
importantly, establish a system to measure and verify results. Some
countries have used the funds to buy computers for health centers, while
others have created incentives for managers in low-performing districts to
increase immunization coverage.

In May 2000, GAVI and the Vaccine Fund issued their first call for
proposals to the 74 poorest countries in the world (in 2002, East Timor was
added). Since that time, 69 of the countries have submitted proposals, and
55 countries have already received vaccines, supplies, and cash grants to
strengthen health care infrastructure.  Other proposal are pending.

[WHO press release sent out 18 November, embargoed until 20 November]


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